More than 300 passengers tried to evade airport security in the last year, TSA says

Washington — Hundreds of passengers circumvented or tried to circumvent various aspects of airport security to access secure areas of U.S. airports within the last year, according to the Transportation Security Administration. 

Since March 2023, there have been at least 300 instances of people trying to bypass parts of airport security, the agency said Friday. Only a small number actually made it onto a plane, although the TSA declined to disclose the exact number. The security lapse figures were first reported by The Washington Post. 

Of those roughly 300 incidents, about 200 were people trying to enter the secure area of the airport at the point where passengers exit. Another 80 bypassed the TSA podium where agents check IDs, but were screened and got their luggage through security. Of those 80, 85% were stopped and arrested by law enforcement for trespassing, according to the TSA.